


thinking of you

by Sumi



Category: Horizon: Zero Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-13
Updated: 2017-05-13
Packaged: 2018-10-31 09:42:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10896702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sumi/pseuds/Sumi
Summary: One night when Aloy can't sleep she remeninces about Rost.





	thinking of you

**Author's Note:**

  * For [chicago_ruth](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chicago_ruth/gifts).



Aloy lay on the bed in her small apartment in Meridian, eyes staring straight up at the ceiling. She tried to sleep but Aloy couldn’t quiet her mind with that difficult anniversary just having passed.

 

A little over a year had passed since defeating HADES and this meant just as much time passed since she last saw Rost on that mountain.

 

Even in his last moments, Rost protected her. If not for Rost she wouldn’t be here right now. Her heart ached that Rost couldn’t see her now and how much Aloy accomplished. Rost would have taken the truth of how the state of the world came to be in stride. Shock at first, yes but Aloy believed he’d would have come to accept it in time.

 

She hated that whenever thoughts drifted to Rost the sadness instantly set in. Aloy desperately wanted to remember the good times. Living as an outcast was never easy. The only thing that made it bearable was having Rost by her side. He raised Aloy the best he could and while Aloy realized she might be biased, she thought he did a pretty damn good job.

 

One of the biggest things Rost taught her was to care; even for those who ostracised Aloy and Rost for their outcast status. ‘The Nora are only doing as the rules call for’ Rost constantly reminded Aloy. 

 

As outcasts, none of the other Nora members were to speak or interact with them. It was a lesson Aloy had to learn more than once.

 

_“Aloy, look at me,” Rost urged gently._

_She stubbornly kept her head turned. When Rost knelt in front of Aloy, she finally looked at him with a deep scowl and arms crossed._

_He smiled gently, tucking a few strands of unruly red hair behind Aloy’s ear. “I know you’re hurting and it’s difficult for you to understand but the tribe are simply following what the All-Mother dictates.”_

_Aloy’s scowl softened. She shuffled closer to Rost, hands reaching up to tightly clutch at his furs. “Can we go home now?”_

_“Yes, Aloy we can go home now,” Rost chuckled softly before leading the way._

 

It took quite a few years for Aloy to actually grasp what Rost was trying to tell her. She felt no bitterness towards the Nora but with Rost dead, it didn’t seem like her home anymore. After moving to Meridian, Aloy didn't think of it as home but now after two months and with friends like Erend close by, it was beginning to feel like it.

 

Aloy toyed with the idea of going back to the tribe to visit Rost’s grave. Before settling in Meridian, Aloy travelled back a few times. Speaking to Rost’s grave and telling him about the people she’d met and things she had been through gave Aloy peace.

 

Some day soon Aloy would make the journey again. There were so many things Aloy had yet to tell Rost about and a silly part of her couldn’t wait even if Rost was gone and never coming back.

 

He might be gone but the memories would always stick with Aloy. For one, Rost tried his hardest to teach her how to interact with others while raising her. There were some things about her personality Aloy couldn't change. Her bluntness was one of them. He tried but Aloy never could get rid of it; even now.

 

When Aloy was a child she couldn't see the point of learning all these social rules. The tribe despised and ignored her. Why should Aloy be considerate to them in any manner given how they treated her and Rost?

 

The reminders to remain empathetic and care about their fellow Nora members were constant. Aloy didn't truly begin to comprehend his words until her teens. She wished she could express her thanks to Rost and tell him that the lessons stuck.

 

Still, none of it changed the fact that for eighteen years, Rost was her everything. He always protected Aloy; even in death. There were times while growing up Aloy came close to it before the Proving.

 

It happened during a harsh winter when Aloy was in her twelfth year. If not for Rost, Aloy wouldn't have made it to her thirteenth.

 

_Aloy lay huddled by the fireplace. Her teeth were chattering, cheeks flushed due to the fever ravaging Aloy's body._

_The heavy winter storm continued to wreak havoc just outside their small home. Rost said it was the worst he'd seen in his life so far._

_She fell sick just a day before the storm hit. Rost made Aloy comfortable in front of the roaring fire before going out to look for herbs to treat Aloy's growing illness._

_Aloy inwardly cringed when she recalled the bitter taste of the medicine. It did little but lull her into a peaceful sleep. When Aloy awoke, she didn't feel like she improved at all._

_“Fevers worse,” Rost muttered after feeling her forehead. “Try to sit up, Aloy. You need to eat some broth.”_

_She made a noise of protest but reluctantly left the comfort of her furs and sat up. Aloy took a few sips before her stomach lurched unpleasantly. Still, Aloy kept trying to eat until the nausea became too much._

_“I can't eat anymore, Rost.”_

_He frowned but set the bowl down._

__

 

The rest of that night was a complete blur for Aloy. All Aloy knew was that the next time she regained consciousness, the storm had come to a complete stop.

 

Rost hovered close by, looking like he hadn't slept in years. He later told Aloy how close she came to succumbing to the illness. If Rost hadn't been so vigilant, she would have.

 

Aloy couldn't count the numerous times Rost saved her life. It started when he took her in as an infant and ended on the mountain where Rost lost his life defending Aloy from the Shadow Carja. 

 

The night was nearly half over by the time Aloy managed to shut her mind off and sleep. With an early shift for the Vanguard tomorrow, Aloy needed her rest.

 

Rost would have expected no less from her.


End file.
